The Jameson Distilled Sounds 2025 edition global lineup is as genre-bending as ever.
This year’s programme features two of the country’s most promising and diverse voices — Kethan, the neo-gospel singer pushing spiritual music into fresh, modern territory, and Xenia Manasseh, the internationally recognised Swahili-infused R&B artist whose velvet vocals have already captivated audiences across Africa, Europe, and the US.
Set against the backdrop of Jameson’s Sound Distillery experience in Ireland, the 2025 edition blends creativity, collaboration, and cultural exchange.
Over an intensive 4–5 day creative residency, artists from more than a dozen countries gather to write, record, and experiment — breaking genre rules under the mentorship of Grammy-winning powerhouse Anderson .Paak.
Kethan, with his uplifting neo-gospel sound, represents the evolving face of spiritual music in East Africa — one that’s not afraid to fuse traditional messaging with Afropop, soul, and even jazz.
Xenia Manasseh, meanwhile, is no stranger to global collaborations, having worked with international heavyweights and earned critical praise for her effortless blending of Swahili lyricism and soulful melodies.
Both artists will be at the centre of high-profile sessions at the Sound Distillery, participating in cross-cultural pairings with musicians from Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Sources close to the event hint that Xenia’s warm, smooth tones could be paired with the lush arrangements of Portuguese experimentalist EU.CLIDES, while Kethan may find himself co-writing with South African soul singer Lloyiso — a match that could yield a gospel-soul anthem with pan-African appeal.
The wider roster is equally dazzling. The artists joining them in Ireland include:Lloyiso – South African soul singer with powerhouse vocals.EU.CLIDES – Portuguese artist blending soul, R&B, and experimental pop.
Skinner – Irish drill artist redefining the country’s hip hop landscape.Mary Ann Alexander – Indian vocalist known for merging traditional South Asian sounds with modern pop.
Monica Karina – Indonesian singer bringing alt-R&B textures from Southeast Asia. Manny Wellz – Nigerian-American R&B and Afrofusion hitmaker.Kp Illest – Namibian rapper pushing African hip hop forward. Moldanazar – Kazakh synth-pop pioneer fusing electronic and folk roots.
Saint Kylo – Malaysian alt-pop artist exploring sonic minimalism.
Each artist arrives with a distinct cultural and musical lens, setting the stage for genre-defying collaborations that could just as easily birth a chart favourite.
The Sound Distillery Studio is an immersive cultural melting pot. Artists live, work, and play together in the same creative space, with jam sessions that roll late into the night, impromptu lyric swaps over coffee, and the kind of creative energy that can only come from locking world-class talent in one room.
Guiding the process is Anderson .Paak, serving as Jameson’s Music Distiller. His role is hands-on — arranging co-writes, fine-tuning arrangements, and encouraging artists to push past their comfort zones.
Backed by his creative house APESHIT INC., .Paak’s mission is to ensure every track born here is both authentic to the artist and surprising to the listener.
Once the Ireland sessions wrap, the music isn’t tucked away on hard drives — it becomes part of a multi-platform global rollout.
Jameson Distilled Sounds releases: Tracks and EPs from the collaborations, streamed worldwide.
Live performances — both intimate and festival-scale — staged in key cities.Behind-the-scenes documentary content capturing the artists’ creative journeys.
Masterclasses — free to watch — where artists break down their writing and recording process.
This means following the artists’ progress from first meeting their collaborators, to lyric-writing sessions, to the debut performance of their freshly minted tracks.
What makes Jameson Distilled Sounds stand out from other music residencies is its emphasis on genuine exchange rather than pre-packaged features. The artists don’t come with finished songs; they come with open minds.
The 2025 Jameson Distilled Sounds season kicks off its Ireland residency in late August with the first tracks expected to drop before the year ends. Live performances and digital content will roll out in staggered phases, ensuring the excitement stretches well into 2026.